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What to know about the 2026 Champions League final

Titleholder Paris Saint-Germain will take on Arsenal in the 2026 Champions League final.

PSG eliminated Bayern Munich in the semifinals following a 1-1 draw on Wednesday to book its place in the showpiece event at the Puskas Arena in Budapest, Hungary on May 30.

Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembélé fired PSG ahead in the third minute following a swift counterattack led by Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. Harry Kane equalized for Bayern in stoppage time but PSG advanced 6-5 on aggregate after winning a pulsating first leg 5-4.

Arsenal overcame Atletico Madrid 2-1 on aggregate in its semifinal.

Here’s what to know about the Champions League final.

Time of kickoff

Kickoff time on May 30 has been brought forward to 1700 GMT, having traditionally been played at 2000 GMT. Governing body UEFA said the decision for an earlier kickoff was to enhance the matchday experience for fans and to optimize logistics such as public transport in Budapest.

The Killers are pre-match headliners

American rock band The Killers will be performing on the night. In recent years, Linkin Park and Lenny Kravitz have headlined.

About the finalists

Arsenal is in the final for the first time since 2006. It is only its second time in the final and it has never won European club soccer’s top competition, having lost to Barcelona 20 years ago. Mikel Arteta’s team was beaten in last year’s semifinals by PSG, which beat Inter Milan 5-0 in the final to lift the trophy for the first time.

Since the tournament was rebranded as the Champions League in 1992-93, only Real Madrid has retained the title, winning three times in succession from 2016-18. PSG lost the 2020 final to Bayern.

About the Puskas Arena

The 67,000-seat stadium was opened in 2019 and built on the same site as the previous Ferenc Puskas Stadion — named after the Hungarian and Real Madrid icon, who won three European Cups as a player.

Recent winners

2025 PSG

2024 Real Madrid

2023 Manchester City

2022 Real Madrid

2021 Chelsea

Most Champions League/European Cup wins

15 Real Madrid

7 AC Milan

6 Bayern Munich, Liverpool

5 Barcelona

4 Ajax

3 Manchester United, Inter Milan

The 2027 final is set for Madrid

The 2027 final will be staged at Atletico Madrid’s stadium the Estadio Metropolitano. It is the second time it has held the final, having staged the 2019 showdown between Liverpool and Tottenham. The city of Madrid has hosted the final on five previous occasions.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

NYPD says dozens rescued from human trafficking during World Cup

▶ Watch Video: Inside look at security preparations for World Cup Forty-three people, including seven minors, were rescued from human traffickers during the World Cup matches in the New York City area, according to the New York City Police Department's Special Victims Unit.The rescue operations were carried out between June 11 and July 19 by specialized NYPD detectives who arrested 89 individuals."The surprise was really the outpouring of support behind the mission and the collaboration with all our partners," said Inspector Gary Marcus, commanding officer of the Special Victims Unit.Those rescued, largely the victims of sex trafficking, are now being supported with an array of social services for the victims, including food, housing and counseling.The 87 operations carried out during the World Cup have generated new leads, officials said, and law enforcement agencies are building more cases based on the investigations already underway."We have ongoing investigations now as a result of these operations," an NYPD official told CBS News.Major sporting events are known to law enforcement as hotbeds of human trafficking.Years in advance, the NYPD devoted significant resources to preparing for the World Cup. Eight matches were played at New Jersey's MetLife Stadium, including the final on Sunday."When we talk about the outreach and the prep we do, a large part of that involved visiting the known sex offenders, particularly the known human traffickers, in our registry," Marcus said. "Whether they're on parole or probation for human trafficking, we visited them to make sure they're compliant with the terms of their release, and secondly, to let them know that the NYPD is watching."The matches were held in multiple cities around the U.S., Mexico and Canada. Preparations to secure those games and prepare for crimes like human trafficking were coordinated between local, state and federal law enforcement agencies.Police departments in many locations that hosted World Cup matches have made arrests and rescues connected to human trafficking, including in Georgia, New England and Missouri. Nationally, there were more than 673 arrests on human-trafficking charges made during the World Cup, and 61 adults and 13 minors rescued, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
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